Bessoir part of MAC's inaugural Hall of Fame class

Bob Bessoir often wondered how come the Middle Atlantic Conference never had any type of Hall of Fame.

Now, not only has the league created one, but the long-time University of Scranton men's basketball coach is part of the inaugural class.

To kick off its centennial celebration -- the MAC 100 -- the MAC Hall of Fame was created to recognize student-athletes, coaches, administration, faculty and staff of member schools, past and present, who have demonstrated success in athletics, academics and the community.

Bessoir is one of 36 inaugural inductees. Other notable members of the first class include Elizabethtown women's basketball coach Yvonne Kauffman, Wilkes wrestling coach John Reese and Widener football player Billy "White Shoes" Johnson.

Future classes will be comprised of 10-15 individuals and be announced every May at the MAC's annual meeting.

"The MAC has been a viable unit for a number of years and has always had a good group of schools," Bessoir said. "So this is great that they're doing something like this. And to be recognized by the conference as part of the first class, I am honored and really appreciative of that."

This actually is the seventh time that Bessoir has been so honored. He is also a member of the University of Scranton's Wall of Fame; the Northeastern Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame; the Luzerne County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame; the Chic Feldman Foundation Hall of Fame; the Pennsylvania State Hall of Fame; and his high school alma mater, William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, N.J.

However, this is the first time Bessoir is part of an inaugural Hall of Fame class.

"It never gets old," Bessoir said. "The fact that they revive you is very important. People forget very easily and these things are not brought up very often. So to all of the sudden find out you've been championed again and your name is out there again makes you feel really good."

In 29 seasons as Royals coach (1972-2001), Bessoir won 554 games, including 14 MAC/Freedom Conference titles and two NCAA Division III national championships (1976, 1983). He also was named MAC Coach of the Year four times (1983, 1985, 1993, 2000).

"I really enjoyed our time in the MAC. I thought it was a great conference," Bessoir said. "It prepared all the teams for the NCAAs. If you were a top-level Middle Atlantic Conference team, then you were going to be pretty good in the NCAAs."

Scranton left the MAC in 2007 to become a member of the Landmark Conference.